System and method of controlling charge of vehicle battery

ABSTRACT

A method of controlling charge of a vehicle battery includes: determining, by a control unit, whether a high voltage battery and a low voltage battery are charged in a first charging mode, a second charging mode, or a third charging mode; and charging at least one of the high voltage battery or the low voltage battery by controlling a first full-bridge circuit unit, a second full-bridge circuit unit, and a low voltage direct current (DC) converter unit based on the determined first, second or third charging mode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of non-provisional U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/746,082, filed on Jan. 17, 2020, whichclaims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2019-0083879, filed on Jul. 11, 2019, the entire contents of each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of controllingcharge of a vehicle battery.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

A system of charging a vehicle battery includes an on board charger(OBC) for charging a high voltage battery of a vehicle, and includes alow voltage DC-DC converter for charging a low voltage battery usingpower of the high voltage battery. As such, the conventional chargingsystem of the vehicle battery necessarily uses the on board charger andthe low voltage DC-DC converter for driving the vehicle.

Meanwhile, as technologies to improve fuel efficiency of a vehicle,reduce manufacturing cost, and further improve utilization of a limitedspace of the vehicle are developed in all technical fields of thevehicle, the above-described technology development research is alsoactively being conducted in the field of the charging system of thevehicle battery. Among them, in order to improve the fuel efficiency ofthe vehicle, reduce the manufacturing cost, and further improve theutilization of the limited space of the vehicle, research for reducingthe size of power elements and devices in the vehicle including the onboard charger, the low voltage DC-DC convert, and the like is activelybeing conducted.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a system and a method of controllingcharge of a vehicle battery capable of improving fuel efficiency of avehicle, reducing manufacturing cost, and further improving utilizationof limited space of the vehicle by integrating an on board charger and alow voltage DC-DC converter.

According to one form of the present disclosure, a system of controllingcharge of a vehicle battery of a vehicle in which a high voltage batteryand a low voltage battery are mounted, includes: a first full-bridgecircuit unit configured to convert direct current (DC) power which isinput externally into alternating current (AC) power and configured tooutput the AC power; a second full-bridge circuit unit configured to:convert the AC power output from the first full-bridge circuit unit intothe DC power to charge the high voltage battery, or convert the DC powerinput from the high voltage battery into the AC power to output the ACpower; a low voltage DC converter unit including: a rectifying unitconfigured to rectify the AC power output by the first full-bridgecircuit unit or the second full-bridge circuit unit, a smoothing unitconfigured to smooth power output from the rectifying unit, and avoltage converting unit configured to convert a voltage output from thesmoothing unit to charge the low voltage battery; and a control unitconfigured to control the first full-bridge circuit unit, the secondfull-bridge circuit unit, and the low voltage DC converter unit based oncharging modes of the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery.

In another form, the system of controlling charge of a vehicle batterymay further include a transformer configured to: convert the AC powerreceived from the first full-bridge circuit unit via an input terminalof the transformer, output the converted AC power via a first outputterminal of the transformer so as to charge the high voltage battery,and output the converted AC power via a second output terminal of thetransformer so as to charge the low voltage battery. In particular, thefirst full-bridge circuit unit includes first to fourth switchingelements, and the second full-bridge circuit unit includes fifth toeighth switching elements and a first capacitor.

In another form, the rectifying unit may be a full-wave rectifyingcircuit configured to full-wave rectify the AC power received from thesecond output terminal and include a first diode and a second diodewhich are connected to the second output terminal and connected inparallel to each other. The smoothing unit may be located between therectifying unit and the voltage converting unit, and include: a secondcapacitor and a ninth switching element connected in series with thesecond capacitor. In one form, the smoothing unit may smooth the voltagewhich is full-wave rectified through the rectifying unit, and thevoltage converting unit may include a tenth switching element connectedin series with the low voltage battery, an inductor connected in serieswith the tenth switching element, a third capacitor connected inparallel to the tenth switching element, and a third diode connected inparallel to the third capacitor.

The control unit may control the first to tenth switching elements basedon a first charging mode in which the high voltage battery and the lowvoltage battery are simultaneously charged by external power input fromthe outside, a second charging mode in which only the high voltagebattery is charged by the external power input, and a third chargingmode in which the low voltage battery is charged by the power input fromthe high voltage battery.

In the first charging mode, the control unit may control the switchingfrequency of the first to eighth switching elements to activate thefirst to eighth switching elements to charge the high voltage battery,and may charge the low voltage battery by turning on the ninth switchingelement to smooth the voltage which is full-wave rectified by therectifying unit through the second capacitor and controlling theswitching frequency of the tenth switching element to vary the smoothedvoltage.

In the second charging mode, the control unit may control the switchingfrequency of the first to eighth switching elements to activate thefirst to eighth switching elements to charge the high voltage battery,and may turn off the ninth switching element and the tenth switchingelement.

In the third charging mode, the control unit may inactivate the first tofourth switching elements, control the switching frequency of the fifthto eighth switching elements, convert the DC power input from the highvoltage battery into the AC power, and output the AC power to the secondoutput terminal, and may allow the low voltage battery to be charged bythe power input from the high voltage battery by turning off the ninthswitching element and turning on the tenth switching element.

According to another form of the present disclosure, a method ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery using the system of controllingcharge of a vehicle battery, includes: determining, by the control unit,whether the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery are chargedin a first charging mode, a second charging mode, or a third chargingmode; and charging at least one of the high voltage battery or the lowvoltage battery by controlling the first full-bridge circuit unit, thesecond full-bridge circuit unit, and the low voltage DC converter unitbased on the determined first, second or third charging mode.

When it is determined that the mode is the first charging mode, thecontrol unit may control the switching frequency of the first to eighthswitching elements to activate the first to eighth switching elements tocharge the high voltage battery, and may charge the low voltage batteryby turning on the ninth switching element to smooth the voltage which isfull-wave rectified by the rectifying unit through the second capacitorand controlling the switching frequency of the tenth switching elementto vary the smoothed voltage.

When it is determined that the mode is the second charging mode, thecontrol unit may control the switching frequency of the first to eighthswitching elements to activate the first to eighth switching elements tocharge the high voltage battery, and may turn off the ninth switchingelement and the tenth switching element.

When it is determined that the mode is the third charging mode, thecontrol unit may inactivate the first to fourth switching elements,control the switching frequency of the fifth to eighth switchingelements, convert the DC power input from the high voltage battery intothe AC power, and output the AC power to the second output terminal, andmay charge the low voltage battery with the power input from the highvoltage battery by turning off the ninth switching element and turningon the tenth switching element.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that the description andspecific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now bedescribed various forms thereof, given by way of example, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a circuit diagram of a system ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a circuit operation in a first chargingmode, in the system of controlling charge of a vehicle battery;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a circuit operation in a second chargingmode, in the system of controlling charge of a vehicle battery;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a circuit operation in a third chargingmode, in the system of controlling charge of a vehicle battery; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling charge of avehicle battery.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is notintended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. Itshould be understood that throughout the drawings, correspondingreference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

Hereinafter, a system and a method of controlling charge of a vehiclebattery according to exemplary forms of the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a circuit diagram of a system ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery according to an exemplary formof the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a circuitoperation in a first charging mode, in the system of controlling chargeof a vehicle battery according to an exemplary form of the presentdisclosure, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a circuit operation in asecond charging mode, in the system of controlling charge of a vehiclebattery according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure, andFIG. 4 is a view illustrating a circuit operation in a third chargingmode, in the system of controlling charge of a vehicle battery accordingto an exemplary form of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a system of controlling charge of a vehiclebattery according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure mayinclude: a first full-bridge circuit unit 100, a second full-bridgecircuit unit 300, a low voltage direct current (DC) converter unit 400,and a control unit 500. Further, the system of controlling the charge ofthe vehicle battery may further: include a transformer 200, arectification circuit unit 800 that is supplied with alternating current(AC) power from an external power supply 10 to rectify the AC power, anda power factor improvement circuit unit 900 that improves a power factorof the power rectified by the rectification circuit unit 800 andtransfers the improved power factor to the first full-bridge circuitunit 100.

Specifically, the first full-bridge circuit unit 100 may convert directcurrent (DC) power which is input from the outside into AC power andoutput the AC power. According to an exemplary form, the firstfull-bridge circuit unit 100 may include: a first switching element 110,a second switching element 120, a third switching element 130, and afourth switching element 140. Further, the first full-bridge circuitunit 100 may convert the DC power transferred from the power factorimprovement circuit unit 900 into the AC power and output the AC power.According to an exemplary form, the switching elements may bemetal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), but arenot limited thereto.

Specifically, a switching frequency of the first switching element 110,the second switching element 120, the third switching element 130, andthe fourth switching element 140 included in the first full-bridgecircuit unit 100 may be controlled by a control unit 700 to be describedlater. That is, the control unit 700 may convert the DC powertransferred from the power factor improvement circuit unit 900 into theAC power and output the AC power by controlling the switching frequencyof the first switching element 110, the second switching element 120,the third switching element 130, and the fourth switching element 140.

The transformer 200 may include an input terminal 210 to which the ACpower output from the first full-bridge circuit unit 100 is input, afirst output terminal 220 of outputting the AC power which is input tothe input terminal 210 and is converted and charging a high voltagebattery 500, and a second output terminal 230 of outputting the AC powerwhich is input to the input terminal 210 and is converted to a lowvoltage battery 600 and charging the low voltage battery.

Meanwhile, in the conventional system of controlling the charge of thevehicle battery in which the high voltage battery and the low voltagebattery are mounted, as a transformer of a on board charger and atransformer of a low voltage DC-DC converter separately exist, there wasa problem that a size of the system increases, a weight increases, and alimited space of the vehicle is not used efficiently. In order to solvesuch a problem, the transformer 200 according to the present disclosureis a transformer formed by integrating the transformer of the on boardcharger and the transformer of the low voltage DC-DC converter, and mayoutput the AC power output from the first full-bridge circuit unit 100input to the input terminal 210 through the first output terminal 220 tocharge the high voltage battery 500, and output the AC power through thesecond output terminal 230 to charge the low voltage battery 600,thereby reducing an overall size of the system, improving spaceutilization of the vehicle, and improving fuel efficiency of the vehicledue to reduction in overall weight.

The second full bridge circuit unit 300 may convert the AC power outputfrom the first full-bridge circuit unit 100 into the DC power to chargethe high voltage battery 500, or convert the DC power input from thehigh voltage battery 500 into the AC power to output the AC power.According to an exemplary form, the second full-bridge circuit unit 300may include a fifth switching element 310, a sixth switching element320, a seventh switching element 330, an eighth switching element 340,and a first capacitor 350. Further, the second full-bridge circuit unit300 may convert the AC power output from the first output terminal 220of the transformer 200 into the DC power to output the DC power to thehigh voltage battery 500, or convert the DC power input from the highvoltage battery 500 into the AC power to output the AC power through thefirst output terminal 220.

Meanwhile, a switching frequency of the fifth switching element 310, thesixth switching element 320, the seventh switching element 330, and theeighth switching element 340 included in the second full-bridge circuitunit 300 may be controlled by a control unit 700 to be described later.That is, the control unit 700 may convert the DC power input from thehigh voltage battery 500 into the AC power and output the AC power tothe first output terminal 220 by controlling the switching frequency ofthe fifth switching element 310, the sixth switching element 320, theseventh switching element 330, and the eighth switching element 340, andthe output power may be output to the low voltage battery 600 throughthe second output terminal 230.

Further, the AC power output from the first output terminal 220 may besmoothed into the DC power through the first capacitor 350 connected inparallel to the high voltage battery 500 to charge the high voltagebattery 500.

The low voltage DC converter unit 400 may include a rectifying unit 410of rectifying the AC power output by the first full-bridge circuit unit100 or the second full-bridge circuit unit 300, a smoothing unit 420 ofsmoothing power output from the rectifying unit 410, and a voltageconverting unit 430 of converting a voltage output from the smoothingunit 420 to charge the low voltage battery 600.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 1 , the rectifying unit 410 may includea first diode 411 and a second diode 412 which are connected to thesecond output terminal 230 and connected in parallel to each other.Further, the rectifying unit 410 may be a full-wave rectifying circuitfor full-wave rectifying the AC power output from the second outputterminal 230.

In one form, the smoothing unit 420 may be located between therectifying unit 410 and the voltage converting unit 430. Further, thesmoothing unit 420 includes a second capacitor 421 and a ninth switchingelement 422 connected in series with the second capacitor 421, andserves to smooth the voltage which is full-wave rectified through therectifying unit 410.

In one form, the smoothing unit 420 is positioned between the rectifyingunit 410 and the voltage converting unit 430 to inhibit or prevent aswitching frequency of a tenth switching element 431 from beinginfluenced by the switching frequency controlling the switching elementsincluded in the first full-bridge circuit unit 100 at the time ofcontrolling the switching frequency of the tenth switching element 431for buck driving in the voltage converting unit 430, by smoothing thefull-wave rectified power before the power output from the second outputterminal 230 and full-wave rectified is transferred to the voltageconverting unit 430.

When it is assumed that the control unit 700 controls the switchingelements included in the first full-bridge circuit unit 100 with aswitching frequency of 100 kHz, the power which is full-wave rectifiedthrough the rectifying unit 410 has a switching frequency of 200 kHz. Inthis case, if the smoothing unit 420 transfers the power which isfull-wave rectified through the rectifying unit 410 to the voltageconverting unit 430 without smoothing, the tenth switching element 431included in the voltage converting unit 430 needs to be controlled withthe switching frequency of 200 kHz. As a result, there is a problem thata large load is applied to the corresponding element and thecorresponding element may be damaged. According to one form of thepresent disclosure, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, thepower which is full-wave rectified through the rectifying unit 410 issmoothed by the smoothing unit 420 and is then transferred to thevoltage converting unit 430, such that the voltage converting unit 430efficiently controls the switching frequency of the tenth switchingelement 431 regardless of the control of the switching frequency of theswitching elements included in the first full-bridge circuit unit 100,thereby making it possible to convert the voltage to charge the lowvoltage battery 600.

The voltage converting unit 430 may include the tenth switching element431 connected in series with the low voltage battery 600, an inductor432 connected in series with the tenth switching element 431, a thirdcapacitor 433 connected in parallel to the tenth switching element, anda third diode 434 connected in parallel to the third capacitor 433. Thevoltage converting unit 430 is a general buck converter, and convertsthe DC power which is smoothed through the smoothing unit 420 into theAC power through the control of the tenth switching element 431 and thensmoothes the AC power through the inductor 432 and the third capacitor433 to thereby charge the low voltage battery 600. As described above,the voltage converting unit 430 is a well-known buck converter, andsince the voltage is converted in the voltage converter 430 is awell-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The control unit 700 may control the first full-bridge circuit unit 100,the second full-bridge circuit unit 300, and the low voltage DCconverter unit 400 according to charging modes of the high voltagebattery 500 and the low voltage battery 600. Specifically, the controlunit 700 serves to control the switching frequency of the firstswitching element to the tenth switching element included in the firstfull-bridge circuit unit 100, the second full-bridge circuit unit 300,and the low voltage DC converter unit 400 according to the chargingmodes of the high voltage battery 500 and the low voltage battery 600.

Hereinafter, circuit operations in a first charging mode, a secondcharging mode, and a third charging mode in the system of controllingthe charge of the vehicle battery according to an exemplary form of thepresent disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2to 4 .

Here, the first charging mode is a mode in which the high voltagebattery 500 and the low voltage battery 600 are simultaneously chargedby power input from the outside, the second charging mode is a mode inwhich only the high voltage battery 500 is charged by the power inputfrom the outside, and the third charging mode is a mode in which the lowvoltage battery 600 is charged by the power input from the high voltagebattery 500.

The control unit 700 may control the first to tenth switching elements110, 120, 130, 140, 310, 320, 330, 340, 422, and 431 according to thefirst charging mode, the second charging mode, and the third chargingmode.

Referring to FIG. 2 , in the first charging mode, the control unit 700may control the switching frequency of the first to eighth switchingelements 110, 120, 130, 140, 310, 320, 330, and 340 to activate thefirst to eighth switching elements 110, 120, 130, 140, 310, 320, 330,and 340 to thereby charge the high voltage battery 500. Further, thecontrol unit 700 may charge the low voltage battery 600 by turning onthe ninth element 422 to smooth the voltage which is full-wave rectifiedby the rectifying unit 410 through the second capacitor 421 andcontrolling the switching frequency of the tenth switching element 431to vary the voltage smoothed by the smoothing unit 420.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in the second charging mode, the control unit 700may control the switching frequency of the first to eighth switchingelements 110, 120, 130, 140, 310, 320, 330, and 340 to activate thefirst to eighth switching elements 110, 120, 130, 140, 310, 320, 330,and 340 to charge the high voltage battery. In this case, the controlunit 700 may allow only the high voltage battery 500 to be charged byturning off the ninth switching element 422 and the tenth switchingelement 431.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in the third charging mode, the control unit 700may inactivate the first to fourth switching elements 110, 120, 130, and140, control the switching frequency of the fifth to eighth switchingelements 310, 320, 330, and 340, convert the DC power input from thehigh voltage battery 500 into the AC power, and output the AC power tothe second output terminal 230. In this case, the control unit 700 mayallow the low voltage battery 600 to be charged by the power input fromthe high voltage battery 500 by turning off the ninth switching element422 and turning on the tenth switching element 431.

Meanwhile, the control unit according to an exemplary form of thepresent disclosure may be implemented through a non-volatile memory (notillustrated) configured to store algorithm configured to control theoperations of various components of the vehicle or data related tosoftware instructions reproducing the algorithm, and a processor (notillustrated) configured to perform operations described below using thedata stored in the memory. Here, the memory and the processor may beimplemented as separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and theprocessor may be implemented as a single chip integrated with eachother. The processor may take the form of one or more processors.

Meanwhile, FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a flow chart of a method ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery according to an exemplary formof the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5 , a method of controllingcharge of a vehicle battery according to an exemplary form of thepresent disclosure may include: an operation of determining, by thecontrol unit, whether a mode in which the high voltage battery and thelow voltage battery are charged is a first charging mode, a secondcharging mode, or a third charging mode, and an operation of charging atleast one of the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery bycontrolling the first full-bridge circuit unit, the second full-bridgecircuit unit, and the low voltage DC converter unit according to thedetermined charging mode.

Specifically, when it is determined that the mode is the first chargingmode, the control unit may control the switching frequency of the firstto eighth switching elements to activate the first to eighth switchingelements to charge the high voltage battery, and may charge the lowvoltage battery by turning on the ninth element to smooth the voltagewhich is full-wave rectified by the rectifying unit through the secondcapacitor and controlling the switching frequency of the tenth elementto vary the smoothed voltage.

In addition, when it is determined that the mode is the second chargingmode, the control unit may control the switching frequency of the firstto eighth switching elements to activate the first to eighth switchingelements to charge the high voltage battery, and may allow only the highvoltage battery to be charged by turning off the ninth switching elementand the tenth switching element.

Further, when it is determined that the mode is the third charging mode,the control unit may inactivate the first to fourth switching elements,control the switching frequency of the fifth to eighth switchingelements, convert the DC power input from the high voltage battery intothe AC power, and output the AC power to the second output terminal, andmay allow the low voltage battery to be charged by the power input fromthe high voltage battery by turning off the ninth switching element andturning on the tenth switching element.

According to the exemplary forms of the present disclosure, the fuelefficiency of the vehicle may be improved, the manufacturing cost may bereduced, and the utilization of the limited space of the vehicle may befurther improved by integrating the on board charger and the low voltageDC-DC converter.

Although the present disclosure has been shown and described withrespect to specific forms, it will be apparent to those having ordinaryskill in the art that the present disclosure may be variously modifiedand altered without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling charge of a vehiclebattery, the method comprising: determining, by a control unit, whethera high voltage battery and a low voltage battery are charged in a firstcharging mode, a second charging mode, or a third charging mode;charging at least one of the high voltage battery or the low voltagebattery by controlling a first full-bridge circuit unit, a secondfull-bridge circuit unit, and a low voltage direct current (DC)converter unit based on the determined first, second or third chargingmode; when the first charging mode is determined, controlling, by thecontrol unit, a switching frequency of first to eighth switchingelements; activating, by the control unit, the first to eighth switchingelements to charge the high voltage battery; and charging the lowvoltage battery by turning on a ninth switching element to smooth avoltage which is full-wave rectified by a rectifying unit through asecond capacitor and controlling a switching frequency of a tenthswitching element to vary the smoothed voltage.
 2. A method ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery, the method comprising:determining, by a control unit, whether a high voltage battery and a lowvoltage battery are charged in a first charging mode, a second chargingmode, or a third charging mode; charging at least one of the highvoltage battery or the low voltage battery by controlling a firstfull-bridge circuit unit, a second full-bridge circuit unit, and a lowvoltage direct current (DC) converter unit based on the determinedfirst, second or third charging mode; when the second charging mode isdetermined, controlling, by the control unit, a switching frequency offirst to eighth switching elements; activating the first to eighthswitching elements to charge the high voltage battery; and turning off aninth switching element and a tenth switching element.
 3. A method ofcontrolling charge of a vehicle battery, the method comprising:determining, by a control unit, whether a high voltage battery and a lowvoltage battery are charged in a first charging mode, a second chargingmode, or a third charging mode; charging at least one of the highvoltage battery or the low voltage battery by controlling a firstfull-bridge circuit unit, a second full-bridge circuit unit, and a lowvoltage direct current (DC) converter unit based on the determinedfirst, second or third charging mode; when the third charging mode isdetermined, inactivating, by the control unit, first to fourth switchingelements; controlling a switching frequency of fifth to eighth switchingelements; converting a DC power input from the high voltage battery intoalternating current (AC) power; outputting the AC power to a secondoutput terminal; and charging the low voltage battery with power inputfrom the high voltage battery by turning off a ninth switching elementand turning on a tenth switching element.